Norse Romance II

The Knights of the Round Table

Overview

Overview

13-14c Norse versions of French narratives of Arthur's knights, with modern prose translations.

The Knights of the Round Table is devoted to translations and adaptations of French narratives featuring King Arthur's knights. It contains prose translations of three of Chrétien de Troyes's Arthurian romances: -vens saga, the Norse translation of Yvain; Parcevals saga and Valvens páttr ("The Tale of Gawain"), translations of Perceval; and Erex saga, an adaptation of Erec et Enide. While the first two works, produced in Norway, are fairly faithful to their sources, Erex saga diverges considerably in content and structure from the French source and most likely represents a thorough revision by an Icelander of what was originally a Norwegian translation. Additionally, the volume contains both an Old Norse translation and an Icelandic adaptation of the French Lai du cort mantel, the ribald story of a chastity-testing mantle at King Arthur's court. The Norse prose translation Möttuls saga was produced at the behest of the same King Hákon who ordered the translation of the Tristan legend. In the fourteenth century a rhymed version of the saga, Skkikkju rímur, was produced in Iceland.